Born in Hungary before the war, Lazslo Endrody came to the United States in 1947 and settled in Ohio with an uncle. He enlisted in the army the moment he was old enough and was soon fighting in Korea while studying for, and eventually obtaining, U.S. citizenship. After becoming a sergeant first class and then a captain, he sailed to various ports in the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Siam. He became a pilot in the Panama Canal before returning to the sea, where he worked six months on, six months off. He raised horses, cattle and sheep on a ranch in Utah, which his mother managed while he was away. It was while he worked as a captain that he discovered his love for writing, and set most of his stories in and around the U.S. Civil War.He has written 28 books.